Chelsea starlet set to leave in January: Wolfsburg favourites for Belgian’s signature

Wolfsburg are in pole position to sign unsettled Chelsea star Kevin de Bruyne in January but only if the Blues agree to a permanent deal.

Atletico Madrid and Scahlke are also interested in the Belgium international, who is desperate for first team football ahead of next summer’s World Cup, according to Belgian newspaper Sports Wereld.

Wolfsburg’s technical director Klaus Allofs brought the winger to Werder Bremen in a season-long loan deal last summer and has watched the 22-year-old since his early days with Genk.

But Allofs, who scouted De Bruyne in Belgium’s friendly with Japan this week, has insisted a deal loan is out of the question.

“A pure loan is out of the question,” Allofs told newspaper Allgemeine Wolf . “It must be a permanent transfer or lease with option to purchase.”

Wolfsburg hold a major advantage over Champions League outfits Schalke and Atletico because they will guarantee De Bruyne first team football.

A move to the Vicente Calderon to join Diego Simeone’s La Liga title push seems the least likely option, because De Bruyne does not know the Spanish league and reportedly does not see eye-to-eye with Belgium teammate Thibaut Courtois, who is on loan from Chelsea.